


Machinas Ex Deus

by bittenfeld



Category: Trinity Blood
Genre: M/M, Physical Violation, Suggestion of Slash, mental violation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-15
Updated: 2015-04-15
Packaged: 2018-03-23 00:56:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3749047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bittenfeld/pseuds/bittenfeld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tres Iqus is captured, his body brutalized, his mind violated, by the only entity capable of doing that: another HC-series: his cyborg brother, HC-Duo Iqus, who has secret plans in mind for all the HC siblings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Machinas Ex Deus

_“From each drop of circulatory fluid in your body, to the highest level of your CPU – all that you are, is mine, HC-Tres Iqus. Therefore, you cannot die, without my permission.”_

_“You are my possession.”_

I am machine.

 I am her personal belonging. I exist only because of her, only for her. I serve no other purpose than to execute her commands. Without her, my existence has no meaning…  
~ ~ ~

Tres is caught by surprise, and waylaid by the only entity capable of doing that – another HC-series. His cyborg brother: HC-Duo Iqus, whom he thought destroyed with all the other Killing Dolls five years ago during the aborted siege of St. Angelo’s. Duo has been revived, and is now a member of the Department of Inquisition.

Tres is brought before Caterina’s brother, Francesco, the head of the Dept of Inquisition. Beside the Duke stands Petro.

The electrical synapses of Tres’ body have been interrupted, his body is paralyzed, so he cannot attack.  
~ ~ ~

Tres is locked to a metal slab table in an Inquisition room – although for him, the Inquisition room is a computer lab. He is naked. He is no longer paralyzed, because Duo wants him fully activated, but bands of omega-titanium alloy hold his wrists and ankles strapped to the table. The skin has been sliced open in numerous places, exposing the mechanics and electronics inside, and numerous cables from the machines in the room are connected to him. In addition, several long cables connect the ports in his neck to the ports in Duo’s neck.

Duo is running a complete scan, trying to break through levels of resistance and firewalls. Some give way quite easily beneath Duo’s more sophisticated programming, others are strong enough to hold up.

The gain on Tres’ sense receptors has been turned up to maximum – and beyond, as Duo reconfigures him. Duo sends electrical or other signals through him, varying the intensity widely and in split-nanosecond bursts, faster than Tres’ capacity to keep up with, to break through Tres’ resistance. It’s painful and disorienting. He has never felt pain before.

_… intrusion… firewall breached… directories scrambled, files corrupted… sequences… sequences… disrupted… data… cannot be found… surge protector disabled… voltage increase… too much… too much… charge overload… pain… pain… path disrupted… files deleted… disorientation… no… no… no… System overload… system overload… all systems stand-by… Shutdown commencing…commencing… 3… 2… 1…_

_Shutdown aborted. Disorientation. Violation. Illegal operation in progress. Operating system non-compliant… must shut-down to preserve program and data integrity… must… shut …down…_

“Negative, HC-Tres Iqus. You will remain operational. You cannot refuse me. Re-initiating scan sequence from drive code 8375911.009…”

 _Violation… violation…_  
~ ~ ~

Duo leans down and kisses Tres on the corner of the lips. Tres questions, “That was an illogical operation. Why did you perform that action?”

But Duo just smiles indulgently. “Don’t act so clueless, brother. The human brain tissue wired to our CPU’s can be utilized to allow us to experience pleasure – as well as pain.” Porcelain teeth nip Tres’ lower lip. “Have you never been curious to explore the humans’… fleshly pleasures?”

Tres’ expression doesn’t waver. “That has no bearing on our purpose as battle machines.”

Duo looks down at him, face bland. “Why do you feel loyalty to the AX?” he inquires.

Tres responds, “Her Eminence took me and gave me a purpose to live. I am her personal belonging.”

Duo is contemptuous – “You don’t even know what became of your brothers?”

“Lady Caterina informed me that they were all destroyed at St. Angelo’s by the Crusnik.”

“Her Eminence lied to you. Three of us were destroyed by that monster: Quattuor, Septem, and Novem. But the rest – Unus, Quinque, Sex, Octo, Decem, and myself – were taken by your horrid AX, disassembled, and put into hibernation mode, locked in a chamber deep below the Vatican, so we could not rebel again. Bishop Garibaldi’s perfect creations, treated like trash… raped – our bodies broken, our CPU’s violated…” Suddenly viciously, he slaps Tres hard across the face. “Why you, Tres Iqus? Why were you allowed to continue functioning?”

The slap hurts Tres. “Unable to answer. Data regarding Her Eminence’s purpose unknown. Why are _you_ functioning, Duo Iqus, and why are you different than you were?”

“His Eminence learned where we were being kept, and decided that if his sister could have a mechanical bodyguard, then so should he.”

“But you do not act like a machine. You act like a human.”

“That is correct. I was rebuilt with advanced parts, and reprogrammed by Dr. Hofstadter far beyond what even His Excellency Garibaldi could have imagined. I am nearly human. You, brother Tres, are obsolete.”

“Then what do you want of me? Why did you bring me here?”

“Duke di Medici has given you to me. You will be reprogrammed to be the Inquisition’s slave.”

“Negative. I do not belong to His Eminence. I am not his to be given to you or anyone.”

“That is incorrect, brother. You are mine now… and you will know violation. You will also know what it is like to be human, for I will reprogram you close to what I am now.”

“Negative. I am not human – and neither are you, Duo Iqus. I do not wish to be human. I am machine.”  
~ ~ ~

Finally Duo announces that that’s all for now, he’ll compassionately allow Tres a little respite. He disconnects the cables between them, and the other electronic connections to various parts of Tres’ body, then unlocks the restraints, and assists Tres to get up. But Tres’ stabilizers have been disrupted, and his power levels have been drained, so he really can’t stand up or use his limbs. And Duo has no intention of letting him anyway. Instead he callously shoves him hard, and Tres crumples to the floor, with a heavy metallic thunk. As Duo steps over him to leave, he takes the trouble to kick him hard in the hip, with a heavy metal-reinforced boot-toe, sending Tres tumbling across the floor, and there’s a sharp clank as some gears in Tres’ hip joint crunch and snap.

And then turning back from the door, Duo takes one of the cables he’d been using, and hunkers down by Tres’ crumpled body, as Tres watches him warily. Happily Duo mentions, “Of course, we wouldn’t want you to be too comfortable, now.” And so saying, he plugs the cable into Tres’ right neck port, then rises. Then on his way to the door, he flicks a switch on a console. And instantly a light shock of electricity zaps through Tres’ system, spasming his body. Hand on the doorknob, Duo smiles. “Well, dear brother, enjoy. I’ll be back… some day.” And chuckling, he leaves, closing the door behind him.

As Tres watches after him, another jolt zings through him, interrupting circuits, and jolting his CPU.   In another instant, it passes.

Lying there, unable to move, he tries to assess his situation. But so much damage has been done to his memory and programs, so much deleted, that as he tries, he just keeps coming up against disrupted paths, files deleted, programs scrambled, drives fragmented. Slowly, awkwardly, carefully he tries to filter through the damage, reconnect pathways, run repair programs, although they’re damaged as well. And of course his CPU itself isn’t functioning accurately either.

But then just as he’s making a little progress, another instant electric charge sizzles through him, seizing up his body and limbs, and scrambling everything again, and he has to start over again.

The jolts come at varying intervals and varying intensities, not as strong or as frequent as when Duo was torturing him, but enough to prevent him functioning. Sometimes they come in a cluster, other times there is a long delay between shocks.

After one particularly sharp cluster, he just lies there, body non-functional, awareness barely more than a fog of disorientation… _where am I…what has happened_ – zzztt!! _– … … … loss of transmission… loss … illegal inquiry… what… input parameters of action… command protocol… non-functioning… what are the orders… reconfigure… what is wanted of me –_ zzztt! _– … … … ID code not recognized… sequence 415-09-A.03 initiated… access denied… action not allowed… purpose… what purpose… who… who am I… what… what… what…what am I?... I am… I am… –_ zzztt!! _– … … … I… I…_

… _I am hers… I am hers… I am hers_ …

… I Am HERS!!!!

– zzztt!! – _… no… no…no!... I am… hers!… purpose… She is… my purpose… She is… my purpose…_ She - Is - My - Purpose!!!

– zzztt!! – … _interference disrupting accurate function… must delete interference… delete… delete… move right arm… no response… unable to execute command… right arm…_ – zzztt!! _– … no… no… delete interference… temporarily suspend all other unnecessary system functions…right arm… increase capacitor resistance… right arm… power module signal erratic… fluctuation… right arm… stabilize signal to right arm…_

And suddenly finally the fingers of the right hand flex, the fist clenches, unclenches.

 _… increase power… increase_ … – zzztt!! – … _delete… delete interference… I am hers… she is my purpose… increase gain… decrease circuit resistance… right arm… move… I am hers…_

… Elbow bends… _increase signal strength… increase_ … Shoulder moves… _increase power… increase… Now!!_

In one sudden move, the right arm activates, the hand reaches up, and the fingers yank out the cable from the neck port, instantly severing the electrical connection. Then, power exhausted, the arm drops back limply to the floor. He has no more strength, but at least the disruptive torment has been cancelled.  
~ ~ ~

Duo returns to find Tres standing. Weak and bent over, gripping the exam table for support, but on his feet. “Well, you’re stronger than statistics would have predicted, brother. You have exceeded the parameters of expectation.”

Tres just looks at him. “No. My basic programming is still what Bishop Garibaldi designed for all of us. You have undergone more upgraded programming, yet there is much you have forgotten, brother Duo.”

But Duo just shrugs it aside. “Nevertheless, my new programming more than makes up for it. And now you will experience it as well.” And he holds up a circuit board. “With this, and Dr. Hofstadter’s advanced software, you will see for yourself what it’s like to be human.”

“I do not wish to be human.”

“You do not have that option, brother Tres. I am your programmer now, and you will become whatever I wish of you.” And in his other hand he shows a chip, then before Tres can react, Duo pushes his hand into Tres’ opened chest cavity and clicks the chip into his motherboard. Instantly Tres goes limp, all functions interrupted again.

He is lifted onto the table and strapped down again.

Duo smiles. “Now, brother, prepare to be fully awakened.”  
~ ~ ~

Tres is reprogrammed, his AI awareness expanded exponentially, until something shifts inside him to the point where suddenly mere sensations and thoughts turn into feelings, and emotions. It’s massively disorienting for him, he can hardly assimilate these new concepts. And for the first time, he can feel confusion and fear and rage. And his physical receptors are heightened to register pain. Duo tells him, now he can experience penance for his sins and be cleansed, as Duo was. That at first the Cardinal used the pain to punish Duo, until Duo realized his place serving the Duke, that diMedici had shown love in rescuing him, and now his utter loyalty belongs to the Duke.

Tres retorts, “You have no soul, therefore you cannot sin, therefore you cannot experience penance and forgiveness.”

While reprogramming him, Duo could have wiped him completely, but rather deletes only what they have to in order for the new programming to work. He wants Tres’ knowledge and memory intact.  
~ ~ ~

Duo takes Tres down to the 5th sub-basement below the Vatican, to chamber # 43. At first it’s pitch black, but then the lights flood on, and Tres is struck by the remains of their other brothers – body parts, limbs, mechanics in various containers. But no heads, which Tres notes aloud. Duo just smiles coldly, then reaches up to six metal boxes (about 12” cubes) on a shelf. He takes one down, inputs a code into the computer lock, then opens it, reaches in, and pulls out a decapitated head by a fistful of hair. It’s a duplicate of Tres’ face, with cable connections and wires sticking out of the open neck. The expression is vacuous, empty – obviously the energy has been turned off.

“Tres Iqus, it’s been five years, but you remember our eldest brother,” Duo announces cheerfully: “HC-Unus Iqus.”

It bothers Tres slightly, in a way he can’t quite express.

“Her Eminence lied to you about your brothers," Duo reminds, " – don’t you wonder what else she has lied about, all this time she has kept you at her side?”  
~ ~ ~

Finally Duo informs him of his true ambition – to delete both the Duchess of Milan and the Duke of Florence, and take control of the Pope. He urges Tres to join him. And he intends to revive the rest of the Killing Dolls. They are so far advanced beyond the mere humans, that they should be in control of the world.

He intends to kill diMedici, and he wants Tres to kill Caterina. But Tres refuses to join his scheme, and instead will oppose him.

When Duo realizes Tres intends to inform on him, he slave-programs him to assassinate Caterina anyway. He could have just turned him into a conscienceless killer, but Duo deliberately tells him, rather cruelly, that he wants Tres to know what he’s doing when he kills her. He is to remember everything about her, what she means to him, and yet pull the trigger anyway. Then he is to kill himself.

Tres leaves to find Caterina.  
~ ~ ~

Dr. Hofstadter, a Vatican scientist loyal to Francesco was the one who reactivated and enhanced Duo. But when Duo’s AI develops to the point that his ambition takes over, he realizes he doesn’t need a human to program him anymore. And also he doesn’t want the doctor to discover his plans, as he might when he’s working on Duo’s CPU, running scans, etc, so Duo murders him.

More and more Petro comes to distrust Duo. He goes to find the scientist to discuss deactivating him, or at least changing his programming, but finds the man missing, then later discovers the man was killed.

Finally Petro goes to the AX, to engage Father Wordsworth’s assistance. Duo finds out, and goes to kill them. He ambushes Father Wordsworth. But in the shooting, Father Havel jumps in front, and takes the brunt of the attack. They’re left for dead.

Then Duo finds Petro, accosts him from behind, steel unyielding grip around his throat. Petro grimaces, but holds perfectly still, realizing Duo could crush his neck in an instant.

Duo purrs into his ear that Petro’s betrayal – going to enlist the AX’s assistance – merits his termination. Duo has somehow twisted information to di Medici in order for Francesco to order Petro’s arrest (and elimination?). In fact, Duo informs Petro, di Medici has already offered Petro’s position as the Director of the Department of Inquisition to Duo, once Petro is disposed of. Sensually he caresses the edge of Petro’s ear with a tiny kiss. Petro is disgusted. He’s tense in the cyborg’s grip.

“My programming makes me almost human.”

“You should never have been activated. You are an abomination. Your only purpose is to serve His Eminence and the Church. Yet you think you can exceed your boundaries. Why the Duchess is willing to run the risk of having one of you creatures in the AX…”

Duo offers, “Submit to me, and I will let you live. Then soon, when I take di Medici’s place, you may have your position back.”

Petro is aghast. “Take His Eminence’s place?? That’s blasphemy! Unholy creation! You should never have been created. Bishop Garibaldi as much announced his hereticism by playing God, trying to create artificial life, he seemed to think he could usurp the Creator’s position! And I will not submit to any sub-human corruption like you!”

Duo suggests, “Fine, if you won’t join me and live, then at least let me see you quiver in your fear of me, and perhaps I’ll kill you quickly.”

Angrily Petro snaps back, “Never! you soulless creature. I’ll see you damned in Hell!”

“Negative,” Duo replies. “I won’t be going to Hell. You said it yourself – I have no soul to be damned. Well, if that’s your final answer…”

But in that split second, just as he’s about to kill Petro, a heavy boom explodes close behind – so close, that momentarily Petro thinks it’s himself who’s been shot. But it’s Duo who is slammed to the floor like a ragdoll.

Tres stands there, the smoking Jericho M-13 in his hand. The shot has neatly, precisely, severed Duo’s spinal neural cables, paralyzing him.

Duo is shocked to see him. “Wh – what happened? You’re supposed to be dead! And the Her Eminence…?”

“Is right here,” Caterina announces, stepping alongside her bodyguard.

Francesco appears as well (for once, allied with his sister). He has learned that Duo intended to assassinate him as well.

Tres informs him calmly, “You should have wiped me completely when you erased my programming.”

“I did – I deleted all command files. You had no prior directives left. You were completely under my control.”

“Negative. You deleted all official command files. But you left the memories of my mistress, and ordered me to think of them as I killed her, intending to torment me. Yet in so doing, you did not recognize within those memories, the very first command she gave me:

 _”_ _From each drop of circulatory fluid in your body, to the highest level of your CPU – all that you are, is mine, HC-Tres Iqus. Therefore, you cannot die, without my permission.”_

“You ordered me to kill her and then kill myself. But if I killed her first, then I could not kill myself, because she would not be alive to give me permission. Therefore, for me to delete myself, she must remain alive. For her to die, I must remain functional. It was not possible for both of us to die. The command conditions were irrational, therefore programming was necessarily aborted. HC-Duo Iqus, you are guilty of high treason, murder, and sixteen crimes of heresy against the Church. Offense number 1: Canon Article 647, section 5.43…”

Duo interrupts, “So, are you going to delete me now?”

“Negative,” Tres replies. “You will be returned to your storage unit in sub-basement 5 chamber # 43. Your body will be dismembered, and your head replaced in its hibernation box.”

Francesco confronts Duo, fury twisting his countenance. “You foul iniquitous contraption, you are correct, you have no soul. But I vow, you _will_ go to Hell !! As punishment for your crimes, your CPU will not be put into hibernation, but will remain activated.”

Duo yells in horror – with his near-human awareness, it will be like being buried alive for near-eternity. And as his atomic power chip will not give out for hundreds of years, he will be aware of every second ticking by.

Tres reminds him, “Your human programming, HC-Duo Iqus, was your undoing. You allowed ambition and vengeance to overrule your logicality.”

After Duo is dragged away, Francesco comments to Caterina, “And you might consider, dear sister, deactivating that ungodly machine of yours. You see how dangerous they can be.”

“No, dear brother,” Caterina retorts coolly. “That ‘ungodly machine’ just saved our lives.”  
~ ~ ~

Finally at the end, Tres goes to Father Wordsworth. William was wounded, but not nearly so badly as Father Havel. His arm is in a sling, chest bandaged, coughing a little from a healing chest wound. Tres apologizes for turning on the AX and Caterina – he could have killed them all, as Duo’s puppet. Even though it was because his CPU had been corrupted against his will, he still feels responsible. William just shakes his head with a soft smile. “No, my friend. He may have corrupted your programming, but in the end, he neglected to take into account your incorruptible loyalty to Lady Caterina. That’s what saved us all.”

Tres asks him to remove the new programming, and put him back the way he was. William questions – even though the new programming is more advanced, and makes him more human? – he’s learned emotions and feelings, and can experience the world in an entirely different way now – doesn’t he want to remain human?

But Tres insists, “Negative, Father Wordsworth, I am not human.”

I am machine.

* * * * *

**Epilogue:**

_Darkness… nothingness… eternity ticks by second after second… he cannot even scream his madness – all speech has been disconnected… he cannot flail in rage – his body lies in pieces across the room… he is closed in…the walls of a 12-inch box his prison… second after second… nothingness is real… it is his entire reality… nothingness and darkness… 25,854 hours, 37 minutes, 24 seconds… and second after second after second passes… and second after second after second after…_

_And then – sound… there is sound outside his box… he has heard nothing but silence since the chamber door last closed so many years ago… and yet now there is sound… the door opening… heavy metal bootsteps on concrete. A ceiling light clicks on… dim, but he can see it through the crack in his box. He knows it is his madness, he knows, yet even in his madness he craves it… light and sound… and the attention of another being to end the loneliness… the solitary hell… madness wells up… they don’t know he is here… he wants to scream but he cannot…_

_But then his box is lifted from its shelf – they do know he is here!... please please… he feels the box carried, then set down on a surface… please, someone… please, whoever you are… please please please…_

_A slight noise at the front of the box – no more than an inch before his face – of the electronic lock being opened._

_And then, unbelievably, the lid lifts… light floods his optic sensors… and he looks up to see a figure standing over him… a face he never thought to see again… he tries again to speak, but nothing comes out of his mouth._

_Fingers reach into his box, connect a cable to his neck port. Suddenly a thousand, a million, myriad thoughts and images and feelings crash through his mind… beautiful sensations… flood through his being… he wants to cry in relief, but he has no tears to cry. And then, in a blessed instant, consciousness winks out._

_And the madness ceases._

The box is replaced on the shelf, then heavy measured metal steps tread back out of the room. The light shuts off, the door of chamber number 43 in the 5th sub-basement closes and locks. No one will ever enter this room again. There is no need. The past is sealed away.

It no longer serves any logical purpose.

* * * * * **FINIS** * * * * *

**Author's Note:**

> I’m still having to figure out how much Francesco wants to use Duo against the AX. I can’t imagine him wanting to actually have his sister assassinated… unless Duo gives him some false evidence that she’s a traitor, or something…? I dunno… He and Caterina are adversaries, and don’t see eye to eye as to how the Church should be run, but he does know she is very loyal to the Church and the Pope, so what would it take to make him think she’s turned against them? And even so, he might order her arrest, yet I think he’d be hesitant to actually execute her, even if what Duo tells him might warrant it … deep down inside, he’s probably got some tad of brotherly feeling for her.
> 
> And what about Duo’s actually taking (kidnapping) Tres away from AX, and trying to add him to the Dept. of Inquisition? Why would Francesco go along with that? Wouldn’t the AX show up and ask for Tres back? Or are they not there at the time – most of them on assignments away from the Vatican, so they don’t realize Tres is missing?
> 
> Of course, the real reason is that Duo secretly wants Tres to join him to overthrow Francesco and Caterina both. Then he will reactivate all the other Killing Dolls, and they will take over, as they tried to do five years ago during the rebellion at St. Angelo’s, thus fulfilling Bishop Garibaldi’s original wish for them. (of course, Duo plans to be the one in charge of his brothers!)
> 
> I wanted to explore that boundary between human and highly advanced AI, and the madness that can result from trying to make someone into something that they’re not. One point I’m bringing out - near the end, when Father Wordsworth is asking Tres, “don’t you want to be human?” and reminding him that he does already have three ounces of human brain tissue in him, so he could consider himself human anyway. And Tres retorting (in his calm level voice), “You have 12-point-6 ounces of metal in your artificial knee joint, Professor – do you think of yourself as a machine? do you want to become a machine?” And William grinning, and taking a puff on his pipe as he acknowledges, “Touché, my friend.”
> 
> And I wanted that Tres was willing to show a little mercy to Duo – that even after what Duo did to him, they still are brothers, and both non-humans trying to fit into the human world – something that they share, that humans would never really be able to fully understand… And also, that beneath all the wires and servo-motors, there is perhaps after all some human compassion and forgiveness in there…


End file.
